by Megan Hawke
Leaping forward, I grabbed Timmy's tail before he ran off. He turned and bared his teeth, a low growl rolling out.
"Call your wife! Call your parents," I demanded. "Tomorrow. Because I'll tell them tomorrow night, and I think they'd rather hear it from you."
He growled again, the fur on his nape rising.
"Do it!" I cried.
He nodded and I let go. Timmy raced across the open area quickly, and vanished in the woods. There were only a few werewolves still morphing, and they wouldn't be there much longer. Everywhere you looked were discarded clothes.
"Wow," Dane said, echoing my thoughts.
"Aren't you going on the hunt?" Henri said.
A thrill raced up my spine. The memory of blood came to my mouth. Salivating, I licked my lips and stared at the dark forest surrounding us.
"Deer?"
"Wild boar," he said. "Much heartier. Stronger. Meaner. Much more dangerous."
"Oh?" I said, intrigued.
"Boar fight back," Rod said, eyes wild with blood lust. The next second a wolf leapt out of Rod's clothes and he raced off into the surrounding woods.
Oh, that was exciting. The thrill I got from chasing down and killing the elk came back. That kill was shared. Would a prey that fought back, that was dangerous, be more thrilling?
"Afraid?" Henri said, and laughed.
With that Henri morphed into a wolf and raced off after Rod. Jeff wandered off, back towards the bonfire. The few remaining wolves all around us were running away as they completed their transformations. I looked at Dane, unsure what to do.
"Go," he said. "I see it in your eyes, in your body language. You want to hunt."
"Yes, God help me, I do," I said, and I morphed into a bat.
I flew straight up out of my clothes, then morphed again in midair. I hit the ground running, a sleek black wolf with sapphire eyes. I felt tiny compared to the werewolves around me, who all gained at least half again as much mass as their human bodies.
Just before entering the woods, I glanced back to see Dane bending to gather up my clothes. Pleasure filled me, knowing that Dane cared. He could've just walked away, disgusted with my supernatural urges and needs. Yes, he was too good to me.
I followed the sounds of pursuit through the dark, winter woods. Wolves were all around me. Most were larger werewolves. The best I could tell, I was better at seeing and otherwise sensing dark, shadow-hidden obstacles.
Reaching out with my vampiric senses, I tried to find the boar. I found boar. In fact, I found a dozen of the angry little monsters. They were all in full panic, with an undercurrent of rage. Nothing like what I felt with the deer and elk.
Two groups of three were to either side of me. None of them more than a couple hundred yards away. I could already feel a couple groups of wolves cornering, surrounding individual boars. The whole Run seemed to be coming to a disappointingly quick conclusion.
Sensing and hearing one such cornering just up ahead, I headed for it. I found the boar cornered, back up against a pile of downed trees and brush. A good dozen slavering wolves surrounded him, stalking back and forth. All were werewolves. One wolf was limping, his left flank and hind leg drenched in blood.
Maybe not so fast, after all, I thought.
"Sable's over here!" a man shouted behind me.
When I turned I only saw wolves heading my way. The voice was familiar. One of Jeff's goons. Jerry, if my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. I'd saved his life once.
Since I had no idea what Jerry, or any of Jeff's thugs, looked like as wolves, I decided to move on. I took off running, heading due north. That placed me at about a forty-five decree angle from the direction the approaching wolves were moving. Only one altered course. I knew what Jerry looked like then.
I guess Jeff isn't forgiving and forgetting, I thought. I reviewed our last couple of encounters, and he didn't come out looking good at all. I probably hurt his vampiric street cred or something.
Jerry made a series of odd yipping sounds. Not really barks. Others answered him. They were all around me. I counted four distinct wolves. I could hear their heartbeats, just as they could hear mine. It was damn hard to escape a determined vampire, even for another vampire.
Altering course, I headed away from all others. Then I put all of my supernatural strength and endurance into running. It was fast enough to force them all to alter their course slightly. But no matter how fast I ran, they would catch up to me. Catching me was a whole nother problem for them.
Jerry was gaining fast. Bigger meant faster in wolf world, I guess. At least in vampire wolf world. He would overtake me long before the others got there.
Slowing down a tad bit, I started looking around frantically. Jerry growled low in his throat. It was a vicious, happy sound. He nipped at my tail, forcing me to run faster. Spotting what I wanted, I leapt on the dead limb lying on the forest floor.
"Die," I growled, morphing back to human. I seized the dead branch, spun around as Jerry leaped at my throat and thrust. Jerry grunted as the wood penetrated his chest, driving deep and through his heart. "Go to Hell."
Morphing back to wolf, I raced off into the night. The other three were still converging on me. If I could've smiled, I would've. It wouldn't be a pleasant smile, either. Now I was pissed. In my book it was official.
Jeff Howell and his vamp family were rogue.
I didn't think Jeff would settle for killing just me. No doubt about it, Jeff would kill my family and friends out of pure spite. Timmy and his family weren't safe either.
My little battle took longer than I thought. In no time the other three vampires converged upon me at a full run. Panic set in for a second, and I ran for all I was worth. I couldn't fight three vampires at once. All three were considerably older than me.
Two wolves slowly closed on me from either side, as we all turned due east and ran full-out through the night-shrouded forest. I hoped one or more of them would smash headlong into a tree or something, but they had the same abilities that I had, and probably better honed.
I really should think my plans through better, I thought as the panic began to subside.
Vampires could get tired. There was a time that I didn't believe that. Running full out was tiring. Not exhausting, yet, but I was beginning to feel the strain.
Soon two wolves were pacing me, just a foot or two to either side, almost running side-by-side. I was head and shoulders ahead of them. The wolf to my left had to be Tanya. She was the smallest of the three remaining wolves. The wolf to my right was probably Francisco. He was the largest and darkest of the three. Sid was a good twenty feet behind us.
I can take Tanya out faster. I threw my feet forward, trying to stop fast. I slid in the dead leaves carpeting the forest floor. At the same time I growled and reached for Tanya's throat with my vicious jaws. But Francisco was not fooled, and his wicked teeth sank into my right shoulder.
I howled with agony and surprise. Francisco shook his head, ripping skin and flesh. Tanya snapped at my throat, but missed. I tried to twist around, feeling my body starting to tumble, only one foot still on the ground. Then Sid plowed into us, seized my throat, crushed the windpipe and flipped over as he threw me into a thick bush.
The pain and injuries made me morph back to human as I flew through the air. Hitting the ground, I rolled a few feet and stopped face up. I heard the three undead wolves scrambling around the underbrush to get to me.
I willed myself straight down into Mother Earth.
From six feet down, I could hear them above me sniffing around. They knew where I was, so I didn't trick them.
"Now what?" Tanya said.
"Damn if I know," Francisco said.
"I thought she was a fighter," Sid said. "What a coward."
Coward? Me? Jeff sent the four of them to kill me. Four against one. That sounded cowardly to me. I'd fight any of them one-on-one. I mean, I've done reasonably well against their Sire.
I willed myself up.
"What the — !
" Francisco cried.
"She's back!" Tanya cried.
I grabbed Tanya by her hair and extended my wings. A second later we were airborne. It was almost impossible to fly in the thick press of the forest canopy, but I didn't have to go far before I found what I was looking for.
Tanya never tried to escape. No sirree, that little spitfire attacked me with fangs and nails. Viciously. It was painful and bloody, but gave me the time I needed.
"Tanya, you are too stupid to be alive," I said, and flew straight at a broken limb about fifteen feet off the ground. The sharp end penetrated between her shoulder blades, right through the heart and erupted between her breasts. I hung onto a thick limb and watched her dying. I had to make sure. "See you in Hell."
Tanya had the most embarrassed look on her face. She stared dumbly at the bloody piece of wood thrusting out from her body, touched the sharp end, and then went limp. Finally all the way dead.
"Two down, two to go," I said.
Francisco and Sid both stiffened and morphed to human form. I graced them with my best wolfish grin. Sid looked a bit unsure, while Francisco just became pissed.
"You didn't know I already killed Jerry?"
"How?" Sid said. "He's bigger than you."
"Um, maybe I won because he was dumber than me," I said. Grinning at them, I let go of the limb and fell straight down. I landed in front of them, just three feet separating us. I was still afraid of them, but I didn't show it. Nothing but arrogant confidence, baby. "Who wants to die next? Franky? Sid Cocksacks?"
"Cotsakis, bitch," Sid said. He took a step toward me, first clenched. "Don't mock my name."
"Oh, nice. Me thinks you've been teased with Cocksacks before," I said, grinning with wicked delight. If they lost their temper, they might make mistakes. "Does it make you go nuts?"
"Aaaiii!" he cried.
"No!" Francisco said.
Too late. Sid leapt at me. Hands extended, he tried to seize me. My wings sprouted, and came around front. Two eight inch spikes thrust into the sides of his chest, meeting in his heart. That stopped him dead in his tracks, a surprised look on his face.
"Wings trump hands and fangs," I said.
I shoved him away and thrust-kicked into his throat, crushing the windpipe. I wanted to snap his neck, but he was too tough for that. Francisco started around him, coming at me from my left side. He wasn't going to give me the time to finish off Sid.
Hurling Sid straight back over my head, I turned and kicked. My roundhouse connected on Francisco's shoulder, not his head that I was aiming for. It was enough to push him into a tree. He bounced off the tree and fell, stunned. I snatched up a three foot branch off the forest floor, and charged him.
Sid returned before I could finish Francisco off and tackled me from behind. His fist was pounding into my side. We hit the ground a second later, and I rolled. Sid rolled with me, keeping me from escaping. Francisco stopped our roll with a foot, leaving me on top and facing up.
"Oh shit!" I cried, seeing the same branch I wanted to impale him on now in his hands. He grinned, raised it high and stabbed down. I morphed into a bat and scrambled out of the way. Then morphed back to human. "Well done!"
Sid lay spread-eagle at Francisco's feet, his heart pierced by the tree branch intended for me. I noticed Sid had an erection. Was it because of the staking? Or did he enjoy wrestling me that much? And, I might add, his ball sack was huge.
"Is he the first vamp you've staked?" I said.
"I'm going to stake you," Francisco said, reaching for the stake.
Sid would be reanimated if he pulled the limb out. It took time for a staking to be permanent. I couldn't have that. Hell was the perfect place for an old undead thug like Sid. So I swept Francisco away with my wings. I grabbed Sid, lifted him up and flew up into the tree tops and deposited him there.
"I can get him down," Francisco said. I didn't like his tone. It was dismissive, disrespectful. He was talking down to me, and I was winning. "I can levitate up and remove the stake, or change into a bat and fly up."
"I know," I said. I was actually standing on Sid's dead body. "But I'm all about making it hard for you." I shrugged. "What fun is it if it's easy?"
"Still trying to be a comedian, heh?"
"No, I'm trying to be a vampire slayer," I said. I looked down at Sid, and then over at Tanya about thirty feet to my right. "So far so good."
"You think you can kill me?" Francisco said. He laughed. "I'm a hundred and four. What are you? Three months? Four months?"
"Let me see. . . I think I'm the baby vamp that just killed three of four vampire goons, you being the last," I said.
"I killed Sid."
"You bastard! Killing your own kind?" I cried. I shook my head. "With friends like you, who needs vampire slayers?"
"You're not funny."
"I'm amused, and that's half of us," I said.
I hopped off Sid, and extended my huge batwings to slow my fall. Landing a few feet in front of Francisco, I folded my wings behind me and regarded him. Francisco was gawking at my wings. They never failed to impress.
"How did you. . . ?" he said.
"Uber vamp, baby. That's why I'm so scary," I said.
"You're not scary to me, Black Heart," he said.
"Why do you undead people keep calling me Black Heart? My name is Sable," I said.
Francisco surged straight at me. Yeah, that whole surge thing I can't do. Before I could react his arms were around me and pushing me backwards.
"Ugh," I grunted, slamming into a thick tree trunk. He head butted me. "Ugh."
A vampire head butt could kill a mere mortal. As it was, he probably cracked my skull and left me dazed. I felt my wings suck back into my body as all strength left my limbs.
"Not laughing now, are you, Black Heart?" Francisco sneered. He pounded a brutal fist into my belly. "I should just kill you now. But I think Tanya, Sid and Jerry might enjoy torturing you a bit before we finally twist your head off."
Francisco sank his fangs into my throat. Even halfway into la-la land I found the feel of those long, sharp fangs erotic. My pheromones started pumping, filling the cold winter air. Francisco groaned, sucking harder, greedier at my throat. I felt his erection growing, pressing against my belly.
"No you don't," he said hoarsely. He stepped back, one hand in my hair. Francisco lowered me to my knees. "I'll not be seduced by the likes of you."
Francisco seized my chin, with the other hand in my hair at the back of my head. I realized he was going to snap my neck. I'd be helpless while my neck healed, giving him the time to reanimate Sid and Tanya. One of them would then fetch Jerry and the party would begin.
Summoning up all my remaining strength, I twisted my head violently. The hand on my chin slipped off, and I found his thumb pressed against my lips. Opening wide, I chomped down on that digit. My teeth severed the bone and flesh with remarkable ease.
"Yeeeooow!" Francisco cried. He jumped away from me, clutching his mauled hand. "You bit my fucking thumb off!"
I spit the thumb out and grinned up at him. "Yep."
Francisco cried out and reached for my throat. I dropped and rolled away. Rolling back to my feet, just like Dane taught me when I first started training to stake vampires, I kicked out and bashed his hand aside. He still had the other hand clutched to his chest.
"I think we'll hold off on saving Tanya and the boys," I said.
"Just long enough to kill you," he said. His dark eyes narrowed. He bared his fangs and surged at me. "Gotcha."
"Dammit," I said, struggling in his arms.
I really needed to figure out a defense against that tactic. Surging was so fast I didn't have time to think.
"I'm taking you down," he whispered in my ear. "I'm taking your heart."
"Ugh, Jesus," I cried as his right hand knifed into my abdomen.
"Black Heart to just heartless in one poetic stroke," Francisco said.
"Oh, you. . . you're trying to be clever," I said. The pain was ex
quisite. My wings erupted from my back. "Let me try." I drove the spike from the left wing through his forearm, right next to my belly. That stopped the forward progress of his hand well short of my heart. "I'm just going to wing this one."
Francisco, cursing furiously, stepped back and grabbed my wing above the spike and started pulling it out. I couldn't stop him. He was much stronger than me. So, with my back against the tree trunk, I quickly picked up both feet and thrust both into his chest with all of my strength.
He bounced off a tree a dozen feet away and promptly surged back at me. I was expecting it. Extending the spikes of both wings straight ahead, I watched as he impaled himself upon them.
"You are an arrogant fool," I said, pulling him in close with my wings. I immediately knifed my right hand up into his belly, shoving it deeper and straight up to his heart. Then I grabbed it, and yanked it out of his body. Took all of three seconds. Yeah, I'm that fast. "That's how you rip out a beating heart. Fast. Don't stop to tell your victim first. Now die, idiot."
I pulled my spikes out, and watched Francisco stumble backwards with the dumbest look imaginable on his face. After he stopped kicking, I lifted his body up to the treetops. The morning sun would find the vampire bodies and vaporize them.
There was still the chance werewolves or other vampires would find them before sunrise. So I collected the hearts of Sid, Tanya and Jerry, and took all four hearts across the Red River and into Oklahoma. I found nice treetop perches for them and left them there.
No hearts meant no reanimation.
Flying back over the Red River Pack's run, I noticed all the boars were caught and killed. The mighty hunters were carrying the carcasses back to the bonfire to celebrate. So I flew ahead, and morphed into a wolf just before reaching the fire pit area.
About half the people were back and spread around the bonfire. None of them were having deep discussions or staring at the stars. Nope. Everyone was going at each other like sex-starved minx. There were at least a dozen vampires there, filling the air with pheromones and driving everyone to new heights of erotic needs and desires.
I spotted Vanessa first. To my surprise, she had Boney laid out on the grass and was riding him hard. Boney was kissing and sucking on her bouncing boobs. Her head was thrown back and she looked oblivious to the world in her ecstasy.
